Yuletide greetings have come early for iOS jailbreak lovers round the world with the release of a now confirmed untethered jailbreak for Apple’s new mobile operating system iOS 7. For those who are quite uncertain about what the term “jailbreaking” is all about, jailbreaking can be referred to as “hacking” an Apple device such as an iPhone and iPad, so that users can download apps, extensions and themes that are not available through the official Apple App Store. On one side, this allows the user to have more control on the device in question while pushing it to its limits with new theme interfaces and extensions that enable interesting features such as Bluetooth file sharing, WiFi tethering and even game console emulation. But another side of jailbreaking is the ability for mobile application “piracy” where users could download and install free “cracked apps” on their mobile devices.

Technically speaking, jailbreaking an iPhone or iPad is NOT illegal. But Apple has warned that the practice “can violate the warranty”. It is worthy to also note that jailbreaking your device eliminates security layers designed to protect your personal information and your iOS device which could lead to hackers stealing your personal information, damage your device, attack your network, or introduce malware, spyware or viruses. Finally you should know that unauthorized modification of iOS is a violation of the iOS end-user software license agreement which gives Apple the full right to deny service for an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that has installed any unauthorized software. But all these don’t scare a LOT of people… one bit.

The evasi0n7 jailbreak, developed by a group known as Evad3rs, claims to work on an iPhone, iPad or iPod running iOS 7.0 through to 7.0.4. It takes 5 minutes of your dear time to install via a USB cable connecting the user’s device to a computer running Windows, Mac OS X or Linux. As the usual risk of data loss and several other complications, the need to backup your data cannot be overemphasized. As with the early versions of these hack tools, it has been confirmed that several hacks and extensions available on the Cydia store would not work properly. Thus, the probability of instability of the device’s operating system has a greater probability at this stage. Always backup your phone before installing new tweaks from Cydia as your iPhone could be stuck in the boot process,” warned evad3rs. “The situation will improve as developers will update their software.”

However, a number of tweaks do work, and thanks to iJailbreak, iPhonehacks.com and RedmondPie, here is a short list of confirmed working and not working tweaks. Please go through them carefully to decide if jailbreaking is okay for you at the moment.

SBSettings (Missing some components, but working, must manually install)

Winterboard: It installs but won’t install themes.

iFile (registration fails even when connected to Cydia)

Not Working:

App Sync for iOS 7

Barrel: The tweak puts the Device into safe mode when you swipe the page.

DreamBoard

No Badges

Power Disconnect Chime (got errors trying to install)

SimpleBanners

SmallBanners

Springtomize 2: has no affect on device.

WiFi Booster (got errors trying to install)

Zeppelin: You can manually install this tweak but has no affect on status bar.

So, when it comes to this matter of jailbreaking iOS 7, we are reminded that “good things come for those who wait.” Cydia is known as the jailbreaking community’s preferred app Store and until several of the commonly used tweaks are working perfectly, you might as well relax and enjoy the holiday; not just for what it is, but for the hope of more dependable updates.

But of course, if you do intend to get along with it, alongside the risks, you can get Evasion 7 here for Windows and here for Mac OSX.

Okay, to be honest, the title of this post really should be “why you SHOULD consider jailbreaking” because I am absolutely crazy about Apple and all of the intelligent things their devices can really do when pushed to their limit. Yes, just like you, I have been there once – stating the pessimistic cause that Apple devices are too expensive for what they are worth. But like the soon to be apostle on the road to Damascus, I have truly seen the light; and I am hoping you get to see the light too.

So enough of my fanciful rambling. Apple devices, especially the iPad series, whether you like it or not, are rather expensive. You bought it because you heard so much about it and that it could (according to that advert) “do almost anything.” But later on, you discover that it’s just a luxury toy and that you don’t do too much with it except run a few apps you bought (or got free on the Apple Store), snap photos, surf the web, play Temple Run or Candy Crush and check e-mail. The question that everyone asks is “what can your device do?” and it can be depressing when you boast of an iPad that doesn’t exactly do as much as you say.

Well, many have heard of this somewhat “evil” process called jailbreaking; and in some communities, jailbreaking is actually frowned upon – but this is usually because people do not know what it really means and the fact that jailbreaking voids your warranty with Apple. Let’s save all the technical stuff about jailbreaking for a later post and cut to the chase: jailbreaking actually allows you to do lots of stuff your iPad really could do but wasn’t allowed to (which is why it’s called “jail-break-ing”) and on this post, there are 10 reasons why you could (or should) consider jailbreaking your iPad.

Here we go 🙂

1. Variety is the spice of life

This is as the saying goes; and trust me on this. Doesn’t the grid interface of the iPad, iPhone and Ipod touch just bore you… even just for some time? Well, a jailbroken iPad is spoiled with numerous tweaks and add-ons that could possibly make all of that boredom go away. Winterboard allows you to change key features of the grid interface like its icon layout and color while maintaining its base structure. To mention how many compatible theme packs are available for Winterboard is akin to counting how many fishes there are in The Pacific. Dreamboard takes this concept several steps further by changing the entire layout. Just imagine your iPad looking like a Windows 8 desktop (without the live tiles) or like an Android Galaxy Tab! Do I have your attention now?

Tweaks such as Beekeyboard allow you to bring a whole new keyboard experience featuring customizable shortcuts and add-ons to apps. Imagine using a keyboard shortcut to open new tabs on Safari… and that is just the beginning! Colorkeyboard is another tweak that even allows you to change the layout of the virtual keyboard. Unlock the fashion sense in you with numerous color combinations of themes and color fixes out there… most for free!

2. App matters

Now, is it possible for me to have Apps for free? Well, even though we at Nijaspecs would always encourage that you support developers and buy your apps (except they are given free), it is VERY possible to have almost any app you want for free. But they MUST be cracked. Don’t worry about iTunes with installing cracked apps; there are other Apple based device managers such as iFunbox, 91 PC Suite for iPhone and iSpirit that can do that for you. It is also possible to just download the app you want and install it live from the iPad without a PC. More details about cracked apps and what to know about them will come on a later post so stay with us.

Furthermore, there is a fun tweak called Password Pilot that helps you save your Apple password so that you would not need to type it once again whenever you want to purchase an app… but be careful about how you use that though.

3. Locked out of a “luxury pad” …you paid for?

Whenever I think about a non-jailbroken iPad, I think about a house that I paid good money for and yet, I do not have the keys to all of its rooms. Having access to a mobile device’s file system is a good way to let the user become able to completely destroy the device; but it also allows you to put and organize your own files EXACTLY where you want to put them. Of course, you should be aware that you should not just go about putting files where they are not meant to be in – but you get the point. Big Boss’ unrivaled wonder jailbreak app called iFile brings to you your complete file explorer service. And when I mean complete, I mean complete: with a built in pdf reader, music player, web viewer, Bluetooth transfer service, file unzipper (including 7-Zip… yes; 7-Zip!), and support for almost every popular filetype. Are we saying that the iPad could now be used like a mobile flash drive? Well… almost a big yes!

4. Privacy issues and customizable icons

App security on the iPad? Of course! I can choose the apps I don’t want anyone to open and even disable it’s ability to be deleted; DisableLaunch makes this possible. Barrel allows the boring page swipe to become more interesting with new swipe animations. FolderEnhancer also lets you to put folders within folders and yes – add custom folder background and animations.

5. Media enhancements

Now if you are okay with the fact that you can only place videos on the iPad using iTunes and having to convert them to some weird mp4 format, skip this one. But of course you aren’t! Well, besides apps available such as AV Player and CineXPlayer on the AppStore that allow other formats, there is the infamous ProTube which even allows you to download videos directly from YouTube on demand. Be sure that the missing YouTube app in iOS 6 would not be missed! The best part is that you would also be able to manage the videos with your computer with the help of your file explorer application and iFile. Imagine the possibilities!!

6. E-Mail the way it is meant to be

Take full control of the iPad’s mail app with tweaks like SplitMail which allows the split view enabled on the iPad on portrait mode. There is also Mail Enhancer Pro which takes your native mail app to the next level with customizable signatures, mailbox color coding and believe it or not, have a voiceover that tells you who just sent you mail. But i think what’s coolest is that you are also able to backup and restore your email on Dropbox through this tweak. AnyAttach does just like it says, allows you to attach anything on your iPad as mail; just think about the possibilities with this, especially when you have iFile under your control.

7. Browser extremes: Download manager on an iPad?

Now this is the real killer. What if I told you that you could actually download your local files from anywhere just like you would on a PC and save it to an accessible point on the device? What if I told you that your Safari browser could have a file download manager and upload client? Notwithstanding, there are other browsers like Maven and Mercury which have file download services but the files you get would not be easily obtained or transferred without jailbreaking.

8. Gesture add-ons

SBSettings gives you a quick drop-down menu for a variety of system toggles such as restarting the device without the power button, airplane mode and others. It even acts a a task manager that gives you information about which apps are running so that you could free up memory – just like a task manager for windows. Activator allows you to add more gesture shortcuts on the iPad. Imagine opening your favorite app with a swipe from the extreme left, or triple click the home screen to open Maps or any other app! Emblem puts your Notification Center to mimic that of the OSX (which feels great on the iPad trust me on this), Mountain Center goes further on the OSX lane, by taking your drag from the top Notification Center to the left or the right; whichever you choose – like the OSX. The best thing about it, is you can also choose which gesture should bring it forth. NCSettings is a powerful variant of SBSettings that puts all the settings toggles on the Notification Center so brightness, Wifi, 3G, GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth, Power options, portrait lock and other options are readily available. A must-have for the iPad.

9. The issue of what you want; the way you want it.

Tired of the four or five icon Dock at the base of the iPad screen? InfiniDock allows you to put as many as you like; just like OSX! IntelliScreenX supercharges your once boring lockscreen with your Notification Center information. Bridge takes care of the iTunes restriction; never again would you be forced to need iTunes to import your music, ringtones or podcasts. NoNewsIsGoodNews kills the forced and rather unnecessary Newsstand folder. Did you like the BB10 keyboard? well knock yourself out with OctopusKeyboard which brings word predictions as you type on the iPad; and if you think that is crazy, try Swipeselection which even enables you to swipe your text cursor to the exact place you need it whenever you are editing on the iPad. This may sound strange but you should try it; you would probably never go back to the default method.

10. Emulation!

Like you probably already guessed… or know, emulation is possible for the iPad also. So, if there were titles you could not just let go of back in the day, you can get them and play them on your device. From SNES, Gameboy, to even the Sega Genesis; make your favorites always available.

and now, the + 1 reason called Springtomize 2!

If there is a reason why iPads should be respected, Springtomize 2 is it. An absolute essential for jailbroken devices. From lockscreen tweaks to Notification Center customization and icon revamping, Springtomize 2 has got it all covered. The tweak will let you alter the looks of your iPad in any way you want…

…and this is how your iPad would never be the same again.

With all of these, we cannot help but ask: “what’s your conclusion; jailbreak or not jailbreak?”

And if you are just looking for that awesome, easy-to-follow guide for jailbreaking and all of these cool things, stick with our soon-coming posts on simplified Apple tips and tricks! We are sure to lead you every step of the way… 🙂

The PS Vita is not as flexible as the older PSP by Sony. This is not an uncommon argument. Not-so-many yet expensive games and a custom memory card type are just some of the letdowns that comes with having a PS Vita. It does have it’s good sides though, but honestly, anyone with a PSP would have a bit more to do on the overall. It doesn’t take that much time for anyone to realize that the PS Vita does have the potential of playing older PSP games and those custom applications that made the PSP a one-of-a-kind love affair. Could it be possible to just have my old PSP games to run on the PS Vita?

For a variety of people who are having a PS Vita and you just cannot do much with it, you don’t have to get dissatisfied just yet as there are now a myriad of available hacks. The height of PS Vita hacking has already been here for a while and as you may have already guessed, you can actually run homebrew on your PS Vita.

Just in case this homebrew thing seems to be a new term to you when it comes to Sony’s handheld and gaming in general, here is a simple way to put it: video game homebrew is a term gamers use to describe the installation or fixing of any software on usually hardware restricted devices. In other words, it’s when someone installs a software that the hardware manufacturer didn’t, and probably wouldn’t put there. These consumer installed programs are usually used to perform user-desired tasks which includes playing user-developed games and software, and hacks that allow game dumping on memory cards like in the case of Sony’s PSP series. However, it is worthy to mention that although it is common practice, hacking your device is liable to void your warranty and could alter the normal functionality of your device. So please consider so before you embark on the great “adventure.”

The PS Vita first was first hacked successfully using an exploit on Gameloft’s UNO. It was probably the greatest new year gift for anyone who had guessed that it was very possible to play your PSP games on the PS Vita. It is not a bad idea; many had been fed up with the big and bulky PSP-1000 of which most models came up with analog stick issues. The PSP-2000 and 3000 were much lighter than the 1000 but the analog issues still continued nevertheless even though on fewer models.

But the bad news is that Sony quickly reacted to this exploit hack by removing the game from the online store and patching up the kernel exploits with firmware 2.05. Hence, only those who did get a copy of UNO could use the exploit and hack their PS Vitas and till this day, although several hackers have posted possibilities of new exploits for Sony’s new firmware, nothing official has been released.

So, if you have a PS Vita with a firmware lower than 2.05 and you can get a hold of Gameloft’s UNO somehow, here is a good place for you to start if you are interested in hacking. Others would just have to wait however; and be sure that we would let you know as soon as any is released 🙂

If you have been one of the many people crying everyday because you somehow obtained an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch device on iOS 6 and above of which, you could not enjoy the numerous benefits of jailbreaking, dry your tears and read through. iOS 6 has FINALLY been pwned!!

iOS 6 came in with a number of new additions that is actually worth the upgrade. iOS 6 brings “Siri” to the iPad 3rd generation and iPod touch 5th generation, facebook integration, camera improvements, all new UI for AppStore, Music, Calendar, Clocks, Weather and a host of other new things you have always expected to see. A possible jailbreak was anticipated and now it is here!

The very new jailbreak software “Evasi0n” was realeased by team Evad3rs and allows a full iOS 6 untethered jailbreak on the following devices:

iPhone 5

iPhone 4S

iPhone 4

iPhone 3GS

iPad 4

iPad 3

iPad 2

iPad mini

iPod touch 4

iPod touch 5

Evasi0n supports the following iOS firmware versions:

iOS 6.0

iOS 6.0.1

iOS 6.0.2

iOS 6.1

And one more thing: it is compatible with Windows, Linux and Mac so dont worry. These guys have got you covered no matter your PC operating system.